This invention relates generally to a flaccid article handling system, and more particularly the invention concerns the processing of fabric pieces.
Flaccid hosiery articles such as circular knit hosiery blanks are difficult to handle mechanically, particularly in a manner that will orient the blanks for subsequent operations, such as closing end portions of the blanks.
In the manufacture of hosiery, it has been customary for an operator to manually retrieve a knit blank from a supply reservoir and hold the toe portion in front of a suction tube of a toe closing machine. The operator then events the blank by pulling the blank over the suction tube. The blank is subsequently conveyed to sewing instrumentalities for closing of the toe portion of the blank.
The present invention provides for automatically randomly retrieving a hosiery blank from a reservoir and pneumatically conveying the blank to a magazine. The blank always exits the magazine toe end first in a selected direction irregardless of whether the blank enters the magazine toe end first or band end first. The band is opened pnueumatically and then conveyed mechanically to a mechanism which dons the blank on a carrier of a toe closing machine. The handling system could equally well be extended to other types of machines for handling flexible materials, e.g. assembling or packing machines.
One of the important objects of the invention is the provision of a new and improved toe closing system which increases production, reduces expense and eliminates substantially all manual operations.
Another object of the invention is the provision of an automatic donning assembly for positioning a hosiery blank onto an elongated tubular hosiery carrier of a toe closing machine.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel system including pneumatic conveyor means for receiving randomly oriented hosiery blanks and which automatically operates to provide a predetermined orientation of the blanks prior to passing to the toe closure machine.
Another object of the invention is the provision of a means for sensing or determining the difference of volume between the toe end and the band end of a hosiery blank.